How Many 76ers Are Considered Top 100 in NBA?

The Philadelphia 76ers are a team you could consider stacked with talent. Despite having just one All-Star this year, Philadelphia’s starting five has multiple notable names.

Beyond the core, the Sixers have a handful of valuable role players as well. While the bench has struggled to impress at times this year, the Sixers received some excellent play from the reserves when they filled in earlier this year as bad health struck Philadelphia.

Considering the talent the Sixers possess, how many of their players would be considered a Top 125 player in the league? Recently, The Ringer updated its rankings, which places several Sixers on the list.

Philadelphia has four players present, all of who place within the Top 100. Going through the entire list, the Sixers have just as many players present as two other Eastern Conference playoff teams, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Milwaukee Bucks have the third-most, with five players listed. The New York Knicks are second, with six players on the list. Lastly, the Boston Celtics have a league-leading eight players listed.

Let's check in on the Sixers' prospects.

Starting From the Bottom

Tobias Harris, No. 97

“Subject of frequent trade rumors for reasons that have more to do with his salary than his balanced supporting skill set.”

Harris is deemed a catch-and-shoot and pull-up threat. The veteran forward has carved out a name for himself in the NBA as a solid shooter. Although he bounced around the league early on, Harris is currently amidst his fifth season in Philadelphia.

Playing on a max contract in Philly, Harris tends to find himself criticized more than supported, as he’s getting paid All-Star money without an All-Star nod to his name. But make no mistake about it, Harris is a solid fourth option in Philly and has proven to be willing to tweak his game to benefit his teammates.

Tyrese Maxey, No. 65

“Scores in bunches from all over the court after expanding his game every year. His next step is progressing as a playmaker.”

The Sixers struck gold with Tyrese Maxey in the 2020 NBA Draft as he slid past the lottery and right into Daryl Morey’s lap. And thanks to a Ben Simmons holdout last season, the Sixers fast-tracked Maxey’s status as a starter in the NBA and found out he truly belongs.

Many believed that Maxey could be a first-time All-Star candidate this year. An early injury derailed that process, but it’s become clear that day might come sometime in the near future. Maxey isn’t a finished product, but he’s quickly developing into a franchise cornerstone player.

Getting to the Top

James Harden, No. 16

“Scorer and playmaker extraordinaire attempting to settle into a different stage of his career.”

The Sixers talked a lot about making sacrifices for the greater good of the team going into the 2022-2023 NBA season. While it’s believed Tobias Harris might’ve sacrificed the most, as he’s constantly tweaking his role, the former MVP James Harden is in that category as well.

The former scoring machine is now taking some of his points per game value and sprinkling it into his playmaking. While Harden’s always been a valuable playmaker, he’s definitely become the best playmaking version of himself on the Sixers this season, as he leads the league in assists per game. As the season progresses, Harden continues to look like this year’s biggest All-Star snub.

Joel Embiid, No. 6

“Intimidating interior force on both defense and offense who has evolved to threaten opposing teams as a perimeter scorer.”

Somehow, the NBA’s MVP runner-up over the last two years and a current favorite to win the award this season is viewed as the sixth-best player in the league at this moment, per The Ringer. Just another example of what Embiid was ranting about after a playoff loss in Miami last season.

Being able to say you’re a top-ten player in the NBA is a heck of an accomplishment, but it’s hard to look at the top of this list and say there are at least five other players that are better than Embiid at this moment.

Kevin Durant (No. 5) and Steph Curry (No. 4) are future Hall of Famers, no doubt. But their lack of availability lately makes it hard to say they hold more value than a player like Embiid at this moment. Fair is fair, right?

As for the top three, they go in this order from third to first; Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. All MVP candidates at this point in the year. Each has a case and will remain relevant in the race until the regular season concludes.

Only time will tell how the top four shake out as the season concludes, but it will be tough to leave Embiid out of that picture if he maintains his current level of play for the final stretch of the schedule.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.